In the recently released Brewers Association beer-guidelines update, fans of New England–style IPAs and their lighter/stronger pale ale and double IPA cousins had cause for celebration: They made it! BA recognition! GABF medals for NEIPAs!
Meanwhile, those who aren’t dedicated fans of the Haze Craze shook their heads and despaired of ever being able to order an IPA again without worrying that they’re about to be poured a glass of fruity gravy. Careful readers, though, might have noticed a subtle linguistic nuance in the guidelines. They weren’t titled “New England Style Beers” or “Hazy Beers.” They were described in a different way: “Juicy or Hazy Ale Styles.” (My emphasis added.)
Juicy doesn’t have to mean hazy. And therein lies, I believe, the foundation of a compromise with the potential to end the incipient war between the “Hazers” and the “Clears.” If haze is, as many brewers stated in the early days of the NEIPA and its ilk, not really a feature but rather a by-product of the hunt for brighter, juicier fruit flavors, then maybe brewers can develop procedures that produce clear beers that are as juicy as their opaque competitors.